Habits and routines

Knowing which situations make you want to smoke can help you plan for trigger situations once you’ve quit.

Most smokers have been smoking for a long time. Smoking habits are often tied to certain activities, places, or people; such as having a cigarette with your morning coffee, during a break at work, or after a meal. Being in these same situations after you’ve quit can trigger an urge to smoke.

Change the routine to break the habit

As an example, let’s suppose your routine is to have a cigarette with your morning coffee or tea. You could:

Shift the location

move inside, but make sure that this is a comfortable place. Ideally, make sure you have another activity to distract you: listen to the radio or read the newspaper.

Switch to something different

a different beverage (e.g. coffee to tea) and/or a different brand or mug.

Change the sequence of your morning (have a shower first-thing).

Choose new routines that you’ll come to enjoy.

Everyone has different habits and routines. You can apply this idea of routine change to the other triggers you identify in your day. What can you change about after-meal times or about your break at work? The important thing is to plan ahead, and try a few things out before you quit.

Some typical habit-based triggers and some tips for changing the routine include:

Habit

Strategy

First thing in the morning

Have a shower first thing

With coffee (or tea)

Change to a different drink, brand of coffee or mug; or change the place where you drink it

At morning tea

Read a magazine or book; sit in a different place or with a different people